The trauma of history: an original (low) fantasy RP

[Data]

If needed Iylria can be Human. I would just need to edit some small things, but I definitely do not mind switching if there is more interest in Elves than Humans.

[Aufidius]

Calvin - accepted. Good stuff pal.

Should be alright Data, we'll keep an eye on it.

I'll get the OOC up soon, since we're already doing CS's and transfer things to there.

[Hank]

Currently writing a human character sheet. It's getting rather... big. I think you'll like it. I personally think it's one of the most creative characters I've ever written.

[Calvin]

Hank, my expectations are almost impossibly high right now. It's like when there is a single, perfect movie review for an upcoming film on Metacritic. Perhaps you could do something to lower my expectations before you post the character? Or should I be listening to extremely dramatic music when you do?

[Rethel34]

Listen to some Two Steps From Hell. They've got some of the best dramatic music you'll hear.

[Hank]

Hank, my expectations are almost impossibly high right now. It's like when there is a single, perfect movie review for an upcoming film on Metacritic. Perhaps you could do something to lower my expectations before you post the character? Or should I be listening to extremely dramatic music when you do?

Ehm... well, I said it's creative. Whether or not that means you think it's a good character is, of course, entirely up to you. I think he'll work well in this RP and create some interesting dynamics. Does that help?

[Calvin]

Listen to some Two Steps From Hell. They've got some of the best dramatic music you'll hear.

Too late. I'm listening to Two Steps From Hell now. I will be listening to them when I read your CS!

[Aufidius]

Sounds good to me! Defo time for me to kip, so I'll check it out in the morning Hank.

[Rethel34]

Too late. I'm listening to Two Steps From Hell now. I will be listening to them when I read your CS!

Hahahaha. TSFH makes everything epic, whether it truly is or not. I've got a good number of their songs on my laptop.

[Hank]

Done. I think. I hope it begins to approach your astronomical expectations.

Name: Revelation.
Race: Human.
Age: 24.
Appearance:

Revelation is tall and powerfully built, even by human standards, which makes him appear as a goliath to the other races. He is of amber of skin and has been tattooed extensively with intricate and deceptive motives that mislead the eye if one tries to follow them. The tattoos match Revelation's hair, which is just as dark and curls much like the ink. He has a powerful face, as if chiseled from marble, with deep-set brown eyes, pronounced cheekbones and a strong jawline. However, these features are rarely seen, as many would argue Revelation's most important attribute is the distinctive armor he wears whenever he appears in public.

It is ornate in design, covered in geometric patterns, mostly squares and straight lines, that aren't carved into the armor but rather created by the use of relief (the sculpture technique, not the emotion). The flat surfaces of the raised parts of the armor are painted a silvery grey, whereas the sunken parts are left bare and betray the armor's dark iron nature. Many of the edges are lined with red. A few short red ribbons dangle from the armor at various points, as well as from the four horns and the bottom of the shield. The shield depicts a monstrous face in an ancient artistic style and four aforementioned horns sprout from the edges. Likewise, three asymmetrical horns of sorts grow from the closed helmet; the front of said helmet betrays preciously little of the face it protects. The only openings are three slits, two for the eyes and one for the mouth, in a style we would recognize as Corinthian. The helmet is crafted in a way to create an almost wraith-like image, depicting a face that is most definitely not human.

Role: Religious figurehead and warrior.

Background: Revelation's true name is lost, deliberately forgotten by both himself and the rest of human society. He was born in the city of Cathmau, one of the religious centers of the human realm. The inhabitants of Cathmau worshiped (and still worship) a religion known simply as the Truth. It is not the universal religion among humanity, but it is one of the largest and Cathmau is not the only city where it is the biggest religion. Instead of worshiping a set pantheon of gods or even a single god, the Truth is a much more abstract belief, almost a philosophy, that holds the world as a whole is a living, self-sustaining entity. It created itself and controls itself. The phenomena of nature are not perpetrated by deities representing said element, but rather simply the world expressing itself beyond the comprehension of mortal men. It is unknowable and unpredictable, but adherents of the Truth believe they can appease it by living good lives, in harmony with the rest of the world and everyone in it. While not universal, it is widely respected for being a religion of peace. Mostly.

There is a belief that the world will always select one human of the faithful population adhering to the Truth to represent it in mortal affairs. This mortal is known as Revelation. Whenever one Revelation dies, another is not selected, but the next Revelation is identified, having already been born in the world, among the children of Cathmau through a ritual that involves powerful hallucinogenics... that only a very small portion of the male population is susceptible for. As such, the first male child to be found that reacts to the chemicals and has a vision, a 'revelation' if you will, is selected to become Revelation. Because of sheer luck or divine intervention nobody knows, but there has always been a Revelation among every batch of tested children.

And so it happened to this Revelation. Born to poor parents in the outer districts of Cathmau (located in the very southern reaches of the human lands, by the way, in an area best described as a savanna), the previous incumbent of the Revelation position died when this boy was 6 years old. Two days later he was identified as Revelation, receiving a vision when he ingested the drug. It showed him snow, a thunderous applause of lightning, and a massive downpour on the savanna. Through this torrential rainstorm, a figure, impossible to identify in the rain, approached slowly. The boy awoke screaming from his vision as if the figure had frightened him, though later Revelation could no longer recall why. It was considered a bad omen, though this was not an unusual occurrence. The revelation has frequently included frightening images throughout history.

The boy was trained and educated, like all Revelations before him. The role of Revelation is one of a warrior-monk, representing the Truth as an avatar of the world, but also as a knight that fights to protect it. The suit of armor Revelation now wears is part of the tradition. It makes him anonymous and no different from all Revelations that have preceded him, as if Revelation is always the same person. At the very least, it symbolically represents Revelation's abandonment of his previous identity and consolidates his assimilation into the mythical figure that Revelation is, reincarnating again and again.

His training took place in a compound called the House of Revelation that has traditionally always housed the figure. It is sealed off from the public and constantly protected by armed guards, though none would dare disturb Revelation or his caretakers. He was trained in the art of war, learning from the best of the best to fight in heavy armor and wield the ceremonial blade known as Zeal. Of course, he was also educated, learning the religious texts of the Truth through and through, the history of Cathmau and the human species at large, the politics of the world and the nature of the other major religions. Unbeknownst to Revelation a more secretive form of training was also taking place. Through carefully prepared techniques and lessons, refined throughout the centuries, the boy began to take on the personality of the Revelation figure as it was idealized by the priests. The incumbent has been brainwashed like this for almost as long as the position has existed, creating an almost uniform personality for Revelation. This further lends strength to the theory of reincarnation, as if the world molds its avatar to better represent it. It is also during this period, which lasted for over a decade and only ended when Revelation was 19 years old, that he received his tattoos. These are also ceremonial and are a more exaggerated version of the tattoos proudly displayed by many priests of the Truth. They are just as abstract and mysterious as the world itself is thought to be, symbolizing the wearer's attunement with the Truth.

Like all Revelations before him, the boy started traveling the land when he became a man. Sometimes alone, sometimes attended to by a small entourage of caretakers, he travels to lend aid wherever he can, fighting against those who act out of line with the harmony preached by the Truth. The sight of him on the battlefield inspires his allies and demoralizes his enemies. Now, however, he has been selected as one of the representatives of the human race to investigate the disappearance of the sarcophagus and the other artifacts. The things that could be learned from these objects interests both the priests of the Truth and the King greatly. While religious, those of the Truth do not believe whatever the artifacts have to say will 'disprove' their beliefs as they don't believe in concrete things like deities, so it was ruled that Revelation had no personal objections to get in the way. His skill as a warrior is unquestionable and his status as icon of humanity isn't either.

Personality: Like those before him, Revelation is serious of disposition, calm and collected. He takes his duty very seriously and has little time for those who would joke about it. His loyalty to the Truth is unwavering -- hell, as a person in general, he is extremely stable, wielding an unbreakable will. There's nothing in this world that could shake his iron core. In most matters he is neutral, like racism -- elves and dwarves are the same to him as other humans and he practices no discrimination, neither positive nor negative. While he takes no pleasure in killing as an act, there's a grim satisfaction to the taking of the lives of the wicked, which he experiences as a way of restoring balance to the world. On the other end of the spectrum, he is certainly capable of feeling compassion but he tries not to let his emotions get in the way of his duty. If a man lies dying on the side of the street and the killer is fleeing, Revelation will not stop to try and save the man. He is no healer and he knows that. Without hesitation, he will charge down the street to try and bring the killer to justice. That's the kind of man he is and it's exactly what's expected of him as Revelation.

However, the flipside of all this is that Revelation can be stubborn. He doesn't back down from his opinions or a fight, even if the odds are bad. Because he is so determined and loyal to his cause he will go to extraordinary lengths to achieve whatever is necessary. This is typical of all Revelations and has resulted in an average life expectancy of less than 40. It has also resulted in a reputation for heroism bordering on the absurd.

The personal quirks Revelation allows himself that are unique to him and not his predecessors are a fondness for riddles, an irrational dislike of cats and homosexuality. It is expected of Revelation to remain celibate anyway and he doesn't indulge his own sexuality, but it still affects his behavior ever so slightly compared to his predecessors.

Skills and talents: First and foremost, Revelation is a warrior. He has received extensive training in the arts of sword-fighting and wearing heavy armor effectively, including the use of a shield. He fights in a confrontational style, constantly putting pressure on his opponent and going for kill-strokes at every given opportunity, using the shield both defensively and offensively. His physical strength and bulk are considerable and Revelation makes good use of this. Dwarves, while generally not weaker than Revelation, are at a disadvantage against a much taller opponent and elves are too frail to withstand direct hits. Fortunately for them, Revelation can't match them in sheer speed or agility, but he has thick armor and a large shield to protect him.

Second, Revelation is a scholar and a priest. He has been thoroughly educated in the scripture and tenets of his religion, the history of the world and interracial politics. It is expected of him to know, at least roughly, what to expect of any given area he finds himself in on his travels and of the people he meets.

Third, he is a capable orator. As Revelation, he sometimes has to stoke the fire in men's hearts to do the right thing and fight by his side or convince a group of people to abandon their wrong ways. This is no talent but merely a learned skill. Any expert in interpersonal communication will be able to tell Revelation's heart isn't it and he's merely going through the motions, but it works for the masses.

Equipment: Most importantly, his armor. It is old, fashioned out of some iron alloy, the exact composition of which has been lost to time. Whether it was even forged by humans at all is a matter of debate; its dimensions imply it was definitely crafted to be worn by a human (a powerful one at that) but the craftsmanship is closer to the skill exhibited by the dwarves than what humans were thought to have been capable of hundreds of years ago. A common theory is that it was a gift from a dwarven smith to the first Revelation to walk the earth. It is paired with a one-handed longsword called Zeal. The thick and heavy blade has the word carved into it in an old human runic script and its finely decorated with etchings similar to the relief shapes of the armor, but again it seems too well-made to be a human creation.

Other than that, Revelation needs little and carries few things with him.